Chapter 264: Enemies From the Sky

At dusk, Xiao Xin appeared in the Old Man's room.

As soon as it squeezed out of the portal, a piece of Fragmented Weird Silver pierced its shoulder.

"Yiyaya!"

It was very unhappy.

Both of its master's friends were basically the same kind of bastard.

The other one had tried to work it to death on their very first meeting, and this one was even more terrifying—trying to kill it the second they met!

"Hmm?"

The Old Man was equally surprised. The fragment of silver he had thrown actually failed to hit this strange, bare-bottomed doll.

"Yiyaya!"

Furious as it was, Xiao Xin still pulled a letter from its satchel and held it out to the Old Man.

The Old Man's eyes lit up as he recalled what Yan Jing had said that morning.

He took the letter and read it.

It was indeed from Yi Ji.

What shocked him more was the delivery ability Yi Ji mentioned. He could actually cross major Domains to reach Old Sin City!

This was no small matter.

Even the Lord of East Lake Prefecture couldn't travel to Old Sin City so easily, could he? This ability had reached a level the Old Man could hardly fathom.

Coupled with the method to make objects lighter, if that could truly be realized... That brat Yi Ji has quietly taken another massive step forward...

He sighed in admiration.

Then, a desire to work harder and catch up welled up inside him.

If he wanted to build something with his friends, he didn't necessarily have to lead the charge, but he at least couldn't afford to be left too far behind.

He believed that whether it was Tiger, Chen Nian, or even that little girl Mantou, they all surely understood this principle.

So they were all working hard in their own ways.

Having cured his hidden bodily injuries, he had thought he'd taken a massive stride forward. But seeing this now, he realized it still wasn't enough.

The letter also mentioned a few other things, such as the motorcycle they had ridden there and the recent situation in Old Sin City...

That night, he found Yan Jing and confirmed that the young man had received a letter as well.

"So when you mentioned earlier that Yi Ji was busy with important matters, Young Master, this was what he was doing?"

"Yes."

Yan Jing nodded, admitting it frankly.

"An item was found in the ground behind the Lin Estate, suspected to be related to a Deity. I studied it for a long time but couldn't unlock its secrets. Knowing Mr. Yi Ji is exceptionally perceptive, I let him take a look. I didn't expect him to actually figure it out."

"A Deity—"

The Old Man didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Young Master, you truly are generous."

He was certainly happy for Yi Ji, but he firmly believed that anyone else would never surrender something related to a Deity to another person.

"I couldn't figure it out, so it's useless in my hands."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Besides, Mr. Yi Ji gave me a gift in return."

Saying that, he pulled out a Badge.

Starry skies, mountains, the River, the sky—various phenomena encircled the Badge. In the center was a small figure with a round head, an oval body, and no arms.

"This is—"

The Old Man was stunned. Wasn't this the Badge he and that brat Chen Nian had designed? Judging by the craftsmanship, however, it hadn't been made by either of them.

He looked up at Yan Jing in surprise.

"Young Master, you—"

"I've already promised Mr. Yi Ji I would join Tianque."

Yan Jing smiled faintly. "Master Liu, you did say that ninety percent of the world we conquer would be mine. You can't go back on your word now!"

"By that calculation, I should be able to gain a firm foothold in this organization very soon!"

Hearing this, the Old Man was overjoyed, but he didn't quite know what to say. In the end, he could only scratch his head with a foolish grin.

He was getting on in years, after all. Talking so grandly about something that hadn't even begun to take shape yet made him feel a bit embarrassed.

"I've already chosen a codename. It's 'Evil.'"

Yan Jing smiled.

"The outside world really is interesting. Everything requires a codename, just like the spies from the East and West Lake Prefectures Across the Lake."

The two chatted for a while longer before the Old Man happily returned to his room to sleep.

[Loyalty Level +2]

Right before the Old Man left, Yan Jing had noticed that the Loyalty Level above his head was only five points away from maxing out.

Returning to his own room, he checked the itinerary.

Tonight, the Train would pass through Ash Township before entering Wanyao City and Baijia County. Tomorrow morning, it would pass through Dangdangli, arrive at Sparrow City, and finally reach their destination: Luohe County.

Ash Township, Wanyao City, and Baijia County had little to do with him. His focus was mainly set on Dangdangli and Sparrow City.

Dangdangli was rich in metals and home to many blacksmiths skilled at forging farming tools and weapons.

Later, he could ask Chen Nian if he had the metals he needed and casually pass along the method for making objects lighter.

Then came Sparrow City. That should be where the Old Man and Bi Jie disembarked.

He had heard the place was a gathering hub for avian cultivators, many of whom loved to admire and compare their birds there.

They even held bird-appreciation tournaments every few years.

What he couldn't confirm right now was whether Li Qinghe had received his message and whether he was interested in him. Furthermore, had Xu Chengyi received the news that Old Master Liu was still alive? And what were his thoughts regarding the Old Man?

Therefore, he needed to head to Luohe first to gather clear intelligence, dropping off Tiger along the way.

"A heavy burden and a long road ahead."

He sighed softly, then soon fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, he saw the Old Man pulling Tiger aside and whispering something to him.

After breakfast, Tiger approached him, looking as though he had made a firm decision.

"Young Master, I've decided. I'm going!"

"Good!"

Yan Jing nodded. "Are you absolutely sure, Huzi?"

"I'm sure!"

"Then once we reach Luohe County, we'll start searching without delay."

"We'll try to get this sorted before the Martial Assembly begins," Yan Jing added.

"Alright, thank you, Young Master!"

Tiger nodded.

As if he had just resolved a problem that had plagued him for days, the heavy frown he had worn recently finally relaxed.

He even became more talkative.

"To be honest, Young Master, these past few days it felt like a massive boulder was pressing down on my chest. I couldn't even sleep peacefully at night."

He scratched his head sheepishly and laughed.

"But it's fine now. After telling you, the tension in my heart has finally lifted."

As he spoke, he yawned, bade Yan Jing farewell, and returned to his own room.

Upon entering, he smiled at the bed freshly made by the attendant. Waves of drowsiness washed over him.

In truth, he had suffered nightmares every night for the past few days. He'd dream that everyone was playing cards on the Train, heading out on a distant scenic outing, when a massive hand suddenly descended from above to snatch one of them away.

For some unknown reason, Young Master Luo and the Old Man—who would usually step forward in such situations—were completely immobilized. Tiger was the only one who could move.

Thus, the dream always ended with him standing alone in front of that giant hand, only to be swatted to death in a single strike.

He would fall asleep, have the dream, and jolt awake. It had tormented him so much that he hadn't slept well in days.

But today was different. He had a premonition that he wouldn't suffer that bizarre dream again.

Promptly, he lay down on the soft, checkered bedsheets, pulled up the blanket, and slipped into dreamland shortly after.

Meanwhile, in another location...

A man in Daoist robes, sitting cross-legged on a mound of earth, suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp light erupted from his gaze.

He seemed to have divined it.

Where his target was.

In the southeast.

At this thought, arrays of black Daoist formations unfurled beneath his feet, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

The Train gradually slowed down.

Fei Yu and Yan Jing sat in the sightseeing area, gazing out the window at the towering, pitch-black mountain peaks.

These peaks were practically devoid of any vegetation, without a single speck of green in sight. Exposed beneath the gray soil were pitch-black mineral deposits. As laborers swung their pickaxes, a continuous clinking and clanging rang out—which was precisely how Dangdangli had gotten its name.

"Young Master, shall we get off and take a look?"

Beside Yan Jing, Fei Yu suddenly spoke up.

"Sure."

Yan Jing smiled and nodded, though he felt slightly puzzled.

Logically speaking, Fei Yu shouldn't know he was planning to buy metals for Chen Nian. Furthermore, in all their days traveling, this was the very first time she had actively asked him to get off the Train and look around with her.

Could she actually like the scenery in Dangdangli?

Soon, the Train stopped.

Fei Yu anxiously dragged Yan Jing toward the platform.

"Let's go, let's go!"

She turned back with a smile, looking remarkably dazzling amid the dust-filled sky, like a ray of sunlight piercing through a gray curtain.

It was not long after the two disembarked.

Suddenly, a massive hand cast a shadow over the Train, pressing heavily onto the tracks ahead under the Train Conductor's terrified gaze.

The man in the Daoist robes directly blinked into the VIP carriage.

Seeing the Old Man, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

He never expected to run into this Martial Dao prodigy of the Inner World here.

Just as he was contemplating whether to strangle the Old Man in the cradle right here, the Old Man—who had been observing the two youths who boarded from Cotton City—noticed him as well.

Instantly, vigilance flashed in the Old Man's eyes.

The Old Man could sense that this person standing before him, who had boarded at some unknown time, was extremely dangerous.

Do it.

Looking at the Old Man, the man made his decision.

If he wasn't kept in check, he would become yet another formidable enemy. Their Yueyin and Minhu were already as incompatible as fire and water.

Inside Tiger's room.

Having just enjoyed a brief moment of good sleep, he suddenly furrowed his brows.

In his dreamscape, the environment quietly shifted. One second he was eating watermelon at the Lin Estate, and in the blink of an eye, he was actually back on the Train.

"Something's not right..."

He looked at the massive hand descending outside the window. This time, the hand seemed closer to the Train than ever before.

Wait, why was he thinking in terms of 'every time'?

Staring at the lines on the palm, which looked like the ravines of mountains and rivers, he shuddered violently. The watermelon in his hands unconsciously slipped to the floor.

"No way, no way..."

He looked back and forth nervously, trying to seek help from Luo Sheng and the Old Man.

Normally, Luo Sheng would step forward at this point and tell him what to do, but he didn't. Apart from Tiger, everyone else in the carriage seemed frozen in time.

Watching the giant hand slowly descend, about to crush the carriage flat, he screamed frantically and shook the others to no avail. Finally, gritting his teeth, he opened the window and vaulted out.

Inside the carriage.

The man, with weird energy surging at his fingertips, suddenly sensed something. He looked toward the horizon outside the window and furrowed his brows.

There was no time.

Those guys were like mangy dogs, impossible to shake off no matter what. They had already detected his presence.

Promptly, under the Old Man's vigilant gaze, he turned around and began searching rapidly.

He had to find that person.

Only that person could help him open the passageway to that place.